Although it was called Chaseâs apartment, it was actually shared between Ellinor, Chase, and Ida.
Last time, after Ellinor left the Blanchet household, Theo found her holed up here.
The moment Theo stepped out of the elevator, he started hammering on the door like a madman.
When no one answered, he got antsy and kept banging away.
Thankfully, the building was designed so each elevator served only one unit; otherwise, the neighbors wouldâve been onto him for the racket he was making.
Eventually, after Theoâs relentless assault, the door swung open.
Chase, decked out in his pajamas and sleepy-eyed, ran his fingers through his hair and asked, âMr.
Blanchet, why are you here this late instead of catching some Zâs at home?â
Without changing his expression, Theo cut to the chase. âWhereâs Ellinor? Get her out here now!â
Chase, nonchalantly, shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and said, âMr. Blanchet, your guys have already searched my car. Why are you still hounding me? I actually wanna know where you stashed her.â
Ignoring Chase, Theo barged right into their place.
âEllinor, come out!â
Chase followed him in, frowning and clearly miffed. âMr. Blanchet, do you realize youâre trespassing? I could call the cops, you know!â
Theo ignored him. He made a beeline for the room where heâd last seen Ellinor packing, knocked, and, without waiting for a reply, barged right in.
But there was no Ellinor. Just a chubby white cat asleep on the bed, whose fur puffed out in alarm at the sight of a stranger invading its territory. âMeow!â Chase walked in, picked up their cat, and said to Theo, âMr. Blanchet, sheâs really not here!â
His bloodshot eyes scanned every corner of the room, but Theo couldnât find Ellinor, which only made him angrier. âWhere are you hiding her this time?â
Chase, looking innocent and cuddling the cat, replied, âWeâre not hiding her! Mr. Blanchet, if she wanted to avoid you, she wouldnât be somewhere you could find her. She hasnât even been in touch with us to avoid being found. We called her today, and it went straight to voicemail!â
Theoâs fists clenched, and his heart filled with rage. Did the mischievous woman really not want to be found?
Other menâs wives might run away to blow off steam, deliberately going to places where their husbands could easily find them.
But Ellinor seemed to want to run away to somewhere far away from him.
-Theoâs expression was so cold that he looked like someone owed him money.
Regardless, Chase continued to irritably speak to him. âMr. Blanchet, maybe you should reflect on why she wants to run away from you in the first place! If youâve wronged her, I suggest you stop looking for her! Knowing her, even if you find her, she wonât forgive you!â
Theoâs brow furrowed. âWhat did I do wrong to her?â
Chase snorted. âHow would I know your marital problems? Iâm just guessing since she wouldnât disappear for no good reason!â
Theoâs eyes dimmed, and his brows furrowed even further. âDo you know where she is or not?â
Chase answered solemnly. âI swear, I really donât know! I wish I knew where sheâd run off to; Iâve been calling her non-stop and I canât get through!â